July
by Mei de Famille
Summary: This is for the Give Away in my dear fansite DeathBerry. Their heart are in tune of each other.


Looking at the calendar, I just realized July is near. Every time I recall of July, it is a month with a lot of memories. Whenever I close my eyes when thinking of July, I always see a rainy day and his desperate face, which hurt me so much. To me almost July was only 1 day. That day. The day I ran away from him, the day I was taken away by Nii-sama and Renji. That was the day of despair. I thought everything was over, when I saw him lying in the heavy rain, badly injured by my Nii-sama, when trying to save me. Even though the memory wasn't happy, I still like it whenever I recalled it. Because of that day, I knew how much I cared about him, and how much he cared about me. And he saved me. But now I want to replace that sad memory, and make more memories so that July will be completed and become a happy month. That's why I decide to go to Living World and see him. I want whenever I recall, I will see his smile, not his desperate eyes anymore.

* * *

There are only a few days for July to come. I don't know why every time I think of July, that scene appears. The scene of the day she went away, the day when all the desperation came to me, engulfed me together with the heavy rain. The rain on that day, why was it so heavy? Why was it so cold? It poured down as if it wanted to kill me with its cold arrows. How I hate the rain! Whenever I remember of that day, her figure appears, turning her back to me and slowly walked away, disappeared gradually from my sight. I saw she slightly turned her head back, revealed her eyes covering with sadness. I remember how despair I was when lying in the heavy pouring rain, impossible to do anything, all I could see was dark. That is the reason why I don't like July, it brings back that sad memory whenever I think about it, although my birthday is in July. I want every time I recall, I will see her happy smile. I want to have a completed July, or at least in my birthday I will have a happy time. So, I decide to go to Soul Society to see her, and together with her we will make new memory to replace that sorrow day, so that I can love July more.

"Ukitake-taichou, may I have the permission to go to the Living World for a day?"

"Ah Kuchiki. What occasion is that?"

"I…just want a day-off"

"Kuchiki, you know you need a certain reason to be accepted. Not that I want to make it tough for you or something"

"I understand. And I completed all the work for tomorrow sir."

"But I still need a reason, Kuchiki"

"I want to…celebrate…Ichigo's birthday, on 15th July, sir."

"Kurosaki? OK, you have my permission. Because you have done all the work, I will give you 2 day-off. Say happy birthday to him for me then."

"I promise I will, thank you very much"

* * *

"Dad, I will go out tomorrow."

"What? You suppose to be at home on your birthday. You wanna abandon your poor father?"

"Hey, don't make things seem so serious. I promise to return at dinner."

"Masaki ~~ Your son is so cruel to his father. He is gonna go out playing with friends and abandon his father~~~"

"Are you listening? Fine, I consider this is the permission!"

"But where are you going to?"

"None of your business. It's my birthday, just let me do what I want."

* * *

Rukia arrived at Ichigo house after going around the gift shop to buy him a present. It was difficult for her to choose a present; she had no idea what to buy. Finally she bought a small key chain with a sword shape, similar to the shape of Zangetsu. With the small present in her hand, she summoned all her courage and knocked the door.

"Rukia – chan! It has been a long time!" – said Yuzu cheerfully as she opened the door.

"Hi Yuzu-chan. Is your brother home?" – with a large smile in her face, she asked

"Ichi-nii? No he isn't. He went out and hasn't been home yet."

"I see. Do you know where he goes to?"

"Sorry Rukia-chan, I don't know. You are here for his birthday, right? Do you want to wait for him inside?"

"No, thanks. It's Ok. I will be back another day."

After saying goodbye, Rukia walked back to the empty street. She didn't know if she wanted to return to SS that soon. But Ichigo wasn't there; there was no point for staying. She thought 'there is not much chance to go to the LW like this, why don't I wander around for a while?', and eventually she decided to stay. She went to the school, the place she had so many memories when she lived in Karakura Town. She visited all the place: the classroom, school terrace, school yard,… and she smiled at everywhere she went as happy memories came back to her. Leaving the school, she wandered in the street, in the market, went to anywhere she could think of in Karakura.

* * *

"Ah Ichigo! Long time no see!"

As Ichigo arrived at SS, Ikkaku saw him and greeted him.

"Why do you here? Feel so bored and want to find someone to fight? Then I'm always here to help"

"No Ikkaku. By the way do you know where the 13th division barrack is?"

"You wanna choose someone in that squad to fight? No Ichigo, fighting them just make you more boring! I will make you please."

"I said I was not here to fight." – Ichigo retorted irritatedly – "I'm looking for Rukia"

"Finding your girlfriend" – Ikkaku said mockly and regretfully – "I see, how disappointed for a man want to find his girlfriend instead of fighting. 13th squad's barracks is over there, go straight ahead, turn left 2 times and you will find it."

"Thanks. It's nice to meet you then'' – Ichigo said briefly and went away.

He arrived at the 13th squad and immediately went straight to ask for Rukia. He met some shinigami in the reception room, but before he could ask them, Ukitake appeared.

"Ah Kurosaki! I think you suppose to be at home on your birthday?" – Ukitake greeted him cheerfully.

"I'm here to looking for Rukia. Is she here, Ukitake-san?"

"Huh? Didn't she tell me she comes to your place to celebrate your birthday? She left for Living World"

"Really? Thanks Ukitake-san. I think I should leave now if I want to catch her before she returned here." – Ichigo said and ready to leave.

"You should do. It's nice to meet you anyway" – Ukitake said with a large smile on his gentle face, waving.

"It's nice to meet you too. Sorry I don't have time to say hi to everyone. I must go now" – Ichigo replied and hurriedly came back to his world. Why didn't he think about it? It was his birthday, she would go to his place to celebrate!

* * *

Suddenly the rain poured down heavily, Rukia stuck in the rain. She intended to find somewhere to hide, but as she realized where she stood, she couldn't move anywhere. That was the street in that incident. The same street, and the same heavy rain as in that day. She leaned on the wall in the street and let the rain poured over her, made her wet from head to toe as she recalled about that day. She closed her eyes and immersed in her own thought. 'Why Ichigo isn't here on his birthday?' She wanted to meet him so bad; she wanted to see him so much. And she came here to meet him, but he wasn't here. She found herself so upset that she thought that was tears that falling down on her face, not the rain. She didn't want to return to SS, because she still hoped to see him. She wished he was there at that moment, right beside her. Suddenly she felt the rain was no longer poured down on her, but the rain hadn't stopped yet. Opening her eyes and looking up, she found a familiar figure with a head full of orange. Ichigo was here, beside her and was using an umbrella to prevent the rain to pour down on them, just right after she wished.

"Hey shinigami!" – Ichigo said, breaking the silence

"I'm not shinigami. I'm Kuchiki Rukia" – Rukia replied, and they both giggled about the familiar conversation, like the first time they met.

"Then Rukia, why do you stand in the rain? You should find some place to hide in the rain."

"I intent to, but the scene stops me. Do you not recall? This is…"

"How can I forget the place in that incident? Do you know how much it haunt me everytime I think of July? That's why I don't particularly like July. It brings back to me a lot of unhappy memories."

"But I like July. I just like you, whenever I think of July that scene appears. Although it is not a happy memory, I still like it because through it, I know how much you care about me, and I know I have a man who willing to protect me, that make me happy. But what make me sad is that your desperate face haunting me every time I remember the day, so that I want to see you and replace that face with your happy one. And I also want to wish you happy birthday, but when I come you disappear! Do you know how much upset I am? Where have you been?"

"Soul Society. I came there to ask you out for a date. Amazingly, what you thought is exactly what I had thought. Just like you, I want to replace your sorrow eyes with your smile. So that whenever I think of July, I can see your happy smile and I can love July more. But when I came they told me you had left, then I hastily returned here and searched for your reiatsu, and I found you here." – He paused and with a wide smile in his face, he searched for Rukia's small hand and grabbed it with his larger one, and continued –"but…how coincident, your thought is not different from mine. I have no idea we had made the same resolution."

"Perhaps this is because our hearts are in tune of each other, right?" – Rukia said with a wide happy smile. Seeing her smile, Ichigo absentmindedly smiled too.

Finally they met each other, and had a chance to make new memories as they wished for.

"Happy Birthday, Ichigo." – Rukia said, breaking the silence as she looked at him attentively.

"Thanks, Rukia" – He smiled again, a smile which would haunt her from now on.

"Ah, I bought you a gift. But just where is it?" – Rukia searched her pocket to find the small gift. But Ichigo stopped her.

"Don't worry, you can give me another time, in the end of the date maybe. Now let's go and enjoy the life!" – Ichigo pulled her with him and they ran away, gradually disappeared in the horizon.

Now July is their favorite month of year.


End file.
